


The demon’s contract

by Verhalengrot



Category: Original Work
Genre: Contracts, Demon Realm, Demons, Dimension Travel, Escape from Hell, Ghosts, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Imprisonment, Souls, Spells & Enchantments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 00:52:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13846614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verhalengrot/pseuds/Verhalengrot
Summary: A young man is presented with a deal, he has to give up his soul to save his family.





	1. The contract

**Author's Note:**

> People who read my Pokémon fanfics will recognize the name of the main character in this story. He is one my OC's who I use in different settings, be it Pokémon Trainers or Supernatural/Horror.

A casual chatter and occasional laughter filled the room. The banquet hall was filled with people, all relatives gathered to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary of Matt Bansing and his wife Evelyn. Michael stood a bit to the side with a glass of champagne in his hand and watched his parents talk with his grandmother of his mothers side. The cry of a baby caught his attention and he smiled when he noticed his little nephew had woken up and let his mother know how hungry he felt right now. His cousin was the first in their family to give birth to the next generation and he knew he wanted children of his own one day, but not yet. It was great to see all his uncles and aunts, cousins and grandparents again and he enjoyed being at this party.

None of these people knew what he did outside of college and maybe that was for the best. They would only be worried. Being a demon hunter wasn’t without risk, but he was good at it. He was one of the better agents of the organisation. What he lacked in physical strength, and compared to most other agents he really wasn’t strong, he made up for memorizing and performing the necessary rituals and spells.

The door opened and a figure dressed in a purple trenchcoat entered. His yellow skin and long white hair drew all the attention to him and the room became dead silent. The purple eyes moved around until they settled on the reason of his arrival.

“Michael,” the demon said. His voice was smooth and filled with determination, even if he hadn’t stated his business yet, it was clear he wouldn’t take no for an answer. His posture had a certain elegance to it, but showed a great confidence at the same time. The confidence of a powerful being who knew no-one in this room could match his strength.

“Xantier,” Michael whispered. He knew this demon only through books, he had never met him face to face. The yellow-skinned demon was one of the higher demons and from what he had heard, a dangerous one too. “Weren’t you banished?”

“Do you really think they could keep me locked away?” Xantier asked, his voice filled with disdain. He walked further into the room as if he owned the place and he kept his eyes focussed on Michael. These other humans were of no interest to him. “Let us get to the point of my visit,” Xantier continued calmly, “I’ve always wanted to have the soul of a strong spellcaster, so decided I want your soul, Michael.”

Michael tensed up. “And you think I would give it to you?” he asked as he moved his right hand towards the pocket of his jeans.

“Of course not,” Xantier said as he waved his hand in a dismissive way. He continued to walk over to Michael with an ominous smirk. “No human has ever given their soul freely, but that has never stopped me from obtaining them.”

As Michael reached into his pocket to get the charm he needed for a spell or a banishing ritual, Xantier lifted a hand and spoke a single word in a demonic language. The building shook violently and a red band came out of nowhere, curling around the people in the room within seconds. A chasm opened beneath their feet and flames burned vigorously in the bottom of the chasm. The heat coming from it was intense and the room glowed in an orange light. Michael looked at it, there was only one explanation as to why this demon was able to produce something this big with just one word: he had prepared the spell outside and this word was what completed it. If the demon would have started his spell here, he might have been able to stop it. His fingers folded around the charm and he pulled it from his pocket.

“Don’t do anything hasty now,” the demon hissed. “I have your family in my grasp. They are… how do you humans call it? My hostages. And I will offer a trade, you will sign my contract which will allow me to take your soul when you die and I won’t throw them into the fiery pits of hell.”

Michael looked at his relatives, he could see their fear and tears. Maybe he could save them. His hand gripped the charm more tightly and he opened his mouth.

“Do you really think,” Xantier spoke slowly, but with satisfaction in his voice, “that you will be able to complete your ritual before I release them? All I need is a snap of my fingers, so to speak. Be a good boy and drop your charm.”

Judging by the smirk, Xantier knew it would take longer than that, just as Michael knew that. For a brief moment he pondered if he should try anyway, this demon was dangerous and had to be banished. His relatives wouldn’t be the only victims. Then he heard his newborn nephew cry and his cousin trying to hush it while crying herself. They would all die. And if they did, who would he have left? But he’d have to give up his soul… but they would die… Could he really do this? But if he didn’t… He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. “Okay,” he whispered as he dropped the charm. “I will sign your contract if you will let them live.”

“Good boy,” the demon said as if he talked to a dog. As he walked over to Michael, he opened the trenchcoat and retrieved a rolled-up scroll and a pen. “You know how it works. Sign it at the bottom and your soul will belong to me. After that I will let your family go.”

With a trembling hand, Michael took the pen and scroll and he opened it. The text was straightforward enough, it said the owner of the contract, Xantier, from now on owned his soul and could claim it when he died. He looked at his family once more and he could see one of his uncles shake his head, but what choice did he have? It was either this or his family. Xantier spoke the truth, there was nothing he could do before the demon would kill them all. He wrote his name at the bottom of the contract and gave it back to the yellow demon. What else could he do?

Xantier took it and looked at the name with a pleased smile, before he rolled it up and put it in his inner pocket again. The chasm closed and he theatrically snapped his fingers to remove the binding spell. With that done he looked at the boy in front of him. “Come,” he said to him. “We’re leaving to my realm.”

“What?” Michael’s head jerked up and he looked at the demon. “But that wasn’t…”

“Your soul belongs to me,” Xantier hissed as he leaned forward. “How can I own a soul if the vessel is not with me?” The smirk he showed was anything but pleasant. “You belong to me now, boy. Your soul and your body. You will serve me until it’s time for me to collect what you gave to me when you signed the contract.” He pointed to Michael’s relatives. “I can always throw them in the chasm if that’s what you prefer. What would I care about the lives of humans? Killing one of one hundred makes no difference, but I’m a demon of my word. Come with me and I will not harm them. It is as simple as that. All I want is you.”

Michael swallowed heavily, but lowered his head in acceptance. Selling his soul hadn’t been an easy decision, it was the most prized possession anyone had after all, but he had expected to be killed for it as soon as he had signed the paper. Instead, he had to serve the demon first. He couldn’t even begin to image what that would be like. He heard his father say his name and he looked up at him with grief and fear battling for a place in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could Xantier opened a portal and dragged him along.

~

The realm of the demons was dark and hot. Black clouds filled the sky almost all the time. Every once in a while a gap in the cloud revealed a large, red sun. Red lightning lit up the clouds and the land below every couple of seconds. A dry wind blew over the rocky ground and pits filled with boiling tar or molten rock filled the landscape. The trees that remained were all dead. Either they were scorched and brought down to a black trunk, clawing with it’s root in the rocky surface, or they had completely dried out and had a pale colour, as if they were turned to stone.

The higher demons, like Xantier, lived in castles. Some of those were built on high mountain tops, others in one of the dead forests. Lower demons either stayed in the open or lived in one of the many caves. Xantier’s  castle was located in a valley between two mountain tops. The six small towers of the castle were build in a circle around the large main tower and every tower had a pointy roof. The walls had a dirty, dark-grey colour and aside from the gothic-themed arches they were unadorned. The large double doors seemed old but sturdy and they were big enough to let a giant into the castle. Even though they looked to be quite heavy, the demon opened them effortlessly and Michael stared into the castle.

“Come on,” Xantier said as he gave an impatient push in his back. Michael stumbled forward and stepped inside. The doors closed behind him with a loud bang and Michael wished they hadn’t. It sounded like there was no way back, that his stay here was definitive. “This way,” the demon said curtly as he passed Michael and went towards the door on the other end. Their footstep echoed through the empty hallway as Michael followed Xantier. The grey stone walls looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in ages.

The black door at the other side gave entrance to a circular room. In the middle was a winding stair-case leading into the main tower above them. Six straight stair-cases lead to a door which would give access to the six smaller towers. Two black statues stood between each of the six stairs, they were crafted in the image of demons, all higher demons as far as Michael recognized them.

“Onyx,” Xantier said as he saw Michael look at the statues. “They are made from onyx.” With a wide gesture of his arms he brought attention to the entire room. “This is the central hall. From here you can go to all the towers. I will show you the six towers first. After that we will go into the main tower and I will show you were you’ll sleep.”

Michael nodded, even though his approval would change nothing about the fact they were going to look at the towers. He wasn’t quite prepared for what he saw in those towers. The first tower had piles of gold and silver coins and items in it. He had no idea the demon was this wealthy, nor that earthly goods like this attracted him. The room in the second tower had piles of precious stones, each gem carefully sorted in their own pile. The third room had pig-like demons chained to the wall, Michael knew these were classed as lesser demons. When he asked why he kept those, Xantier explained they were for experiments and that he cared as little about these low demons as he cared about humans. Not one bit. The fourth room made Michael’s stomach turn, shelves filled the room and each shelf was filled with dried organs, shrunken heads and jars filled with organs and foetuses of both humans and lesser demons. The fluid seemed to keep them in perfect shape. The fifth room housed horribly deformed creatures to which Xantier explained they were failed experiments, but he hadn’t gotten rid of them yet as they still could serve their purpose. As the rooms had gradually worsened, Michael wasn’t too sure he wanted to see what was kept in the sixth tower, but not going with the demon wasn’t an option. The sixth room housed five humans without any clothes on. They stared ahead and walked around aimlessly.

“These are five somewhat successful reanimations of dead corpses,” Xantier explained. “At first I just disposed of the body or cut it up for parts when I claimed a soul. After a while I thought it would be nice to bring their bodies back to life and see if I could make those obey my wishes. The first attempts failed, but I was rather successful with these.” He looked at the walking corpses with a thoughtful expression on his face, while Michael stared horrified at them. “I hope to perfect the reanimation spell soon,” he said as he turned to his new pet. “When you’re dead and I have taken your soul, I will use your body too. Maybe I will be successful this time.” Michael couldn’t do anything but stare at the humans walking there, was that his fate? It seemed to get worse the longer he was with the demon. First he had signed the contract that would allow Xantier to take his eternal soul, then he learned he would have to serve him first and now he would be turned into this after his death?

Xantier took Michael with him again and brought him back to the central hall, before ascending the spiral stairs to the main tower. Halfway up the stairs was a door and Xantier stopped here. He informed Michael that the floor above this one was his private floor where he did his spells and rituals, nothing the boy needed to see. The demon opened the door and Michael stared at the room as they stepped through it. Unlike the rest of the castle, this room was beautiful. In the middle was an ornate king-size four-poster bed made from the dark wengé wood. The bright red silk sheets and pillows were in high contrast with the black wood, but it seemed to work for the demon. The white walls were decorated with golden patterns reaching all the way up to the dome-shaped ceiling. There was another door on the opposite side of the room, but Michael’s attention was caught by a set of chains hanging on one wall with a simple white mattress on the ground under them.

“That is where you will sleep,” Xantier told him.

“Like a dog,” Michael added bitterly.

“If you want you can sleep with the Dorcons in the third room,” the demon suggested and he watched Michael quickly shake his head, his eyes showing the fear he had for the creatures. “No? Then how about with your future friends in the sixth room?” he continued, to which Michael shook his head again, but with a sad look in his eyes this time. Xantier walked up to him and wrapped his slender fingers around his chin. “Don’t worry, you don’t always have to sleep on the mattress. Every once in a while I’ll let you sleep in my bed,” he brought his lips closer to Michael’s ear, “but I don’t think you’ll enjoy that very much.”

Michael swallowed heavily and stepped back from the demon. “T-the mattress is fine,” he muttered.

Without any comment, Xavier pushed Michael further towards the other door. He opened it for him and let him have a look around. He smirked when he noticed how Michael’s face turned pale and his eyes filled with fear when he looked inside. In the room were several devices Michael recognized from books about the medieval time period. Torture devices.

“That is one thing I like about you humans,” Xantier said as he walked into the room. With a hand he stroke over the sturdy oak of the rack. “You were quite creative with some of the devices you made to inflict pain on other humans. I quite like these designs from medieval Europe, I’ve used them quite a bit.” He turned to Michael and showed a smile that sent a shiver through his spine. “We will spend some time here together, just you and me.” The demon walked back to Michael and grabbed his chin so he was forced to look at him. “You will scream and you will cry and I will enjoy every moment we spend here,” he promised.

“Whatever you’ll do to me,” Michael whispered. “I will not cry.”

“I will break you,” Xantier hissed. “You will beg for me to end your life and take your soul.”

On the first day Xantier already proved how sadistic he could be. The following days weren’t any better for Michael. The demon enjoyed inflicting pain on his subjects, use them for his own pleasure and he loved the sound of their screams. Torturing his human pets was a hobby and Michael was no exception. More often than not his screams echoed on the walls of the castle.

Sometimes, when Xantier was bored inside his castle, he took Michael out for a walk through the lands and shared some knowledge about the other inhabitants. The walks, even if educational, were agonizing. Even if the demon wasn’t inflicting pain, there were always bruises or wounds that had yet to heal and ached when he moved. During the walks Michael saw many of the creatures of the demonic realm. There were many demons he already knew from books or from hunting them, both higher and lower, but occasionally he came across one he didn’t know yet. He also saw big dog-like creatures which were called hellhounds. They were feasting on the corpse of a lower demon and Xantier warned him to stay away from those dangerous creatures. While all the higher demons who lived in the realm knew each other, most of them were not on friendly terms with the others. One of the higher demons Xantier did get along with had planted a garden, as he called it himself. He had put stakes in the ground and the impaled bodies of lesser demons and humans adorned his front yard. Michael refused to look at it, but that one glance had already made his stomach turn.

Days turned into weeks, but Michael soon lost track of time in the strange realm filled with horror and pain. More often then not he thought back to the party, that last moment when he had seen his relatives. He often wondered if he could have done it differently, but every time he concluded he couldn’t have done it any other way. Giving in to the demand of Xantier and sign that contract, even if it had lead to this, was still better than to be responsible for the death of his entire family. There was no way he could live with that. They were safe, at least they were safe.


	2. Benjamin

One day Michael limped over the path through the mountains leading towards the castle, his right thigh hurt and he felt it with every agonizing step. With the empty eyes of one who has seen too much and who has been through too much he looked at the road ahead. They were the eyes of someone ready to give up.

Lately it happened more often that Xantier sent him on some kind of errand, he seemed to enjoy the benefits of having a slave around. It was a break from the pain the demon caused him and Michael welcomed it, although he knew he would be punished if he’d try to escape. So he didn’t. He had long given up on the idea of escaping the demon. This was his fate and he had resigned in it, there wasn’t anything else he could do.

When he neared the curve in the road from which he would have a clear view at the castle, he stopped. A large boulder had fallen down some time ago and now someone sat on top of it, looking at the castle. Another human, by the looks of it. Some messy and dirty blond hairs peeked from under the edge of a black hat and while the clothes were torn and dirty in some places, they seemed to be in decent shape for this place. Michael could only stare at him. What did another human do here? How could he sit there so calmly? The other human turned his head and looked at Michael with as much surprise in his blue eyes as Michael felt himself. If he had to guess, this guy was around his own age.

“Who are you?” Michael asked

“Benjamin Wilkins,” the other introduced himself as he jumped down from the boulder and walked towards him. “Who are you?”

“Michael Bansing.”

A friendly smile appeared on Benjamin’s face and Michael stared at it. How was it even possible someone could smile like that in a place like this? “I didn’t expect to see another living human here,” Benjamin said.

“Me neither,” Michael whispered. “How did you get here?”

Benjamin started explaining how a portal had opened and arms had come out which pulled him through. On this side of the portal he was faced with a demon, but that demon was attacked by big, black dogs and he could escape. He had learned they were called hellhounds and had stayed with them ever since. They had kept him fed and safe so far and he enjoyed their company.

“Hellhounds?” Michael whispered. “But…but…they are dangerous…” He had seen those hellhounds devour a demon and Xantier had warned him to stay away from those beasts, with the warning that being shred into small pieces was not a pleasant way to die.

“Oh, they are dangerous,” Benjamin explained calmly, “but only to demons. I’ve seen their mutual hate.” He put a hand on his hip and tilted his head slightly. “How do you know they are dangerous?”

“Well, I saw them attack and eat a lesser demon. And the demon I was with told me…” His voice trailed off as he realized what had happened there. Of course Xantier would tell him hellhounds were dangerous and that he needed to stay away from them. And he had believed it too.

“Exactly,” Benjamin said. “I’ve discovered that it doesn’t matter in what realm you are, a dog is men’s best friend.” He smiled a bit. “I’ve always loved dogs and I’m quite fond of these hellhounds too. They’re just like oversized dogs with big teeth who can breath fire.” Benjamin fell silent for a moment as he examined Michael. “How did you get here?” he asked.

Michael took in a deep breath and told Benjamin about the party, the contract and that he was forced to serve the demon Xantier. When Benjamin asked about how living with this demon was, he began to tell in more detail about his stay with Xantier and what he had done to him. The torture, the raping and the humiliation of being treated as a pet. As he went on with his story a compassionate look came in Benjamin’s eyes and Michael’s voice faltered. While he didn’t know exactly how long he was here, he knew it could be measured in weeks already. All that time he had been alone and without compassion. At the end of his story he looked away, he really didn’t want to start crying in front of this guy he barely knew. He felt Benjamin’s comforting hand on his shoulder and he closed his eyes as the first sob escaped his throat and the first tears travelled down his cheeks. It was long since he had felt that and he was unable to keep himself from crying.

“That’s awful,” Benjamin said as he took Michael in an embrace. “When I first saw you I thought you looked terrible. Right now I think you look pretty well after living through all that.”

“And there is no way out,” Michael whispered between his sobs as he buried his face in Benjamin’s shoulder. He held on to him as if he had nothing else left, and he really hadn’t. Who or what did he have in this realm? Benjamin was the first living human he had come across and the first one here to offer him kindness and comfort. “I signed the contract and Xantier is stronger than I am and he knows powerful spells.” His shoulders jerked and he kept his eyes shut tight, but that didn’t stop the tears. “I have to live through his abuse and when I die he’ll claim my soul.” He couldn’t stop crying. He hadn’t shed a single tear ever since he got here, but now everything poured out. All his pain and fear and sorrow.

Benjamin held Michael and tried to comfort him as well as he could. “You do know,” he began after a moment of silence, a moment in which he had just let Michael cry, “that the contract is just a piece of paper, right? There’s no lightning bolt coming from the sky to smite you if you break it.”

At first Michael didn’t answer, nor did he move. Then he pulled away from the embrace and he stared at Benjamin, his eyes still moist, but the tears had stopped flowing. “W-what?” he began with a croaked voice and he cleared his throat. “What do you mean?” he asked. “A demon’s contract…”

“A demon’s contract is a piece of paper with words written on them.” Benjamin turned around to look at the castle. “As powerful as a demon is, they can’t touch a human’s soul. They can’t pull it from our bodies, nor can they catch it if it moves to the afterlife. That’s why they use contracts.” He turned to face Michael once more. “Your soul is not bound to Xantier because you scribbled your name on that piece of paper. It’s bound to Xantier because you believe it’s bound to him. You make it real yourself, you are the one binding yourself to the demon.”

Michael couldn’t do anything but stare at Benjamin. Was that possible? No, that couldn’t be. He had always been thought that demons could claim the souls of humans and they used a contract for that. What Benjamin told him went straight against everything he knew about this subject. And he was a demon hunter! Michael opened his mouth to go against what Benjamin just told him, but he couldn’t find the words to begin.

“How often did Xantier tell you your soul belongs to him?” Benjamin asked.

“S-several times a day,” Michael stuttered. “And that my… body belongs to him too, since it’s the vessel of my soul.”

“Well, that’s, I mean…” Benjamin went under his hat with a hand to scratch his head. “Truth to be told, you didn’t have to allow him to do anything to you just because of the contract. I get that Xantier is strong and can easily make you obey and that you had no choice in going with him, unless you wanted your entire family wiped out, but breaking the contract would make you a liar, not result in instantaneous death or something like that.”

“But…” Michael began, “demons always take human souls through a contract…”

Benjamin rubbed his neck as he tried to find a way to explain it. “Can you see them?” he suddenly asked as he pointed to the main tower of the castle.

Michael looked at the tower and shook his head. “What am I supposed to see?”

“Ghosts,” Benjamin said. “Spirits. The human souls Xantier has collected.” He examined Michael’s face, who shook his head again and sighed. “I’m not surprised you don’t see them,” he said as he turned his attention to the tower again. “I haven’t met anyone who can see them like I can, but they are there. They circle around the tower as if they have no other objective in their existence. ”

“So he does collect them!” Michael exclaimed. “You can see the proof of that.”

“No! They bound themselves to him!” Benjamin started pacing around and Michael followed him with his eyes. “Just like with you,” he began as he waved his arms around, “he told them repeatedly their souls belonged to him and that they signed the contract willingly.” He pointed to the tower, but looked at Michael who listened in astonishment. “They believed it! They believed it just like you did, and that truth was so ingrained in them that when they died they couldn’t do anything but obey. They believed he owned their souls and they acted accordingly. That’s why they can’t move on to the afterlife and float around in circles all day long!” He walked back to Michael and grabbed both his arms as he looked him straight in the eyes. “Don’t you understand?” he asked as Michael hadn’t said a single word since he started his explanation. “Ghosts are the spirits of people who linger, maybe because they have unfinished business or they are afraid to move on or they just can’t say goodbye to someone or something. Whatever the reason is, something keeps them bound to earth and as time goes on they forget about their life and they start wandering. I’ve seen that back home. I’ve seen a ghost who just floats up and down a staircase without looking at anyone or anything, stuck in some kind of loop forever. And that’s what happening here. Xantier made them belief he owns them and that they can’t move on to the afterlife and when they join the other souls they resign in their fate and as time goes by they even forgot how they got there in the first place and just exist in their never-ending circle. Broken spirits are the saddest thing I’ve come across in my entire life!” He shook Michael as his grip on the arms became more tight. “Don’t let him bind yourself to him. Don’t become a wandering ghost like these have. Your soul is yours! He can’t claim it. No-one can! Despite what it’s written in that contract you signed. Don’t you ever forget that!”

“I-I have to go,” Michael whispered as he freed himself from Benjamin’s grasp. “Xantier is waiting… he’ll surely punish me if I take too long.” He turned around and walked towards the castle as fast as his aching leg allowed him.

“Wait!” Benjamin called, but Michael ignored it. “Please wait!”

“No! Leave me alone!” Michael stopped and faced Benjamin again. “You’re not helping me by telling me all that.” He noticed how Benjamin opened his mouth, but he raised a hand to stop him from speaking. “Firstly, I think I know demons better than you do. Secondly, even if you’re right, it doesn’t change anything. I gave in to his demand and signed that contract so my family could live.”

“But…”

“No. If I will break the contract nothing will stop Xantier for going after them, just to punish me for not keeping my part of the deal. Even if it’s just a piece of paper. He doesn’t care about humans, he wants me and if he has to kill every last member of my family to own me, he will.” Michael wanted to turn his back at Benjamin, but was stopped by his question.

“Did he ask to sign the contract in return for their lives or give your soul?” he asked.

“It’s the same thing!” Michael exclaimed. “The contract said he can claim my soul when I die.”

“But he can’t! That’s why he didn’t kill you right there and then. He can’t claim a soul, even if it’s written down somewhere. You are the one who has to give it.”

“And that’s what I agreed upon when I signed the contract! It’s not that I want to die, give up whatever the afterlife is and live eternally in a demon’s shadow, but I have no choice!”

“Why do you think he treats you this badly?”

“Because he’s a demon, he finds enjoyment in it,” Michael said with a monotonous voice, that had to be one of the stupidest questions Benjamin had asked so far.

“I think he wants to break you, physically, mentally. It will make it easier for you to give in and allow him to ingrain the notion of your soul belonging to him.” Since Michael didn’t answer that, Benjamin came a step closer to ask another question. “Did you agree to give your soul or that he could try and claim it?”

Michael stared at Benjamin as he thought back about the contract, his voice seemed to indicate it was an important difference. “It said he owns my soul and can claim it when I die,” he eventually said.

Benjamin nodded with a sad look in his eyes. “All I’m saying, if you can’t get out of the contract, just don’t become like them,” he said as he pointed to the tower. Michael looked at it, he still couldn’t see anything there, but he was willing to belief Xantier’s collected souls were there like Benjamin had described. “If he fails to claim it,” Benjamin continued. “That’s his fault, not yours. Let him try and claim your soul if your contract demands it, but don’t just give it to him if you don’t have to.” A silence fell between them and Benjamin sighed. “I wish I could help you and I wish we could try and escape this land together, but…” he sighed again and shook his head as if he resigned in something. Then he reached out with his hand. “I hope we can see each other again tomorrow. It was nice talking with another human.”

“Likewise,” Michael muttered as he took Benjamin’s hand to shake. “I can’t promise anything, but I can try to meet you again tomorrow.”

Benjamin slowly let go of Michaels hand and tapped his hat. “I’ll… let you go then. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for getting you into trouble with Xantier. I, uhm… goodbye, Michael.” With that, Benjamin turned around and started walking away.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Michael muttered as he too walked away and went towards Xantier’s castle.


	3. Borastius

Michael thought a lot about the encounter with Benjamin. Another human here was already something he could hardly believe, but his words kept going through his mind too. When Xantier asked where he was with his mind Michael didn’t answer. When the slender fingers of the demon wrapped around his neck he closed his eyes, mentally readying himself for getting hit. When nothing happened he opened his eyes again and looked up at Xantier with fear, the absence of an immediate reaction could only mean the punishment for not responding would be more severe than a simple hit.

“Come with me,” the demon hissed as he threw Michael to the ground. He started walking and Michael quickly got to his feet. Making the demon wait would only worsen the situation.

Much to his surprise they didn’t go to the spiral staircase leading towards the bedroom and torture chamber, but seeing Xantier walk up the sixth staircase didn’t make him feel much better. He hated going there and look at those mindless zombies, the reanimated corpses Xantier was so proud of. Especially since the demon had promised him he would be one of them after he claimed his soul. He still followed the demon, if he wouldn’t he would be punished and he didn’t want that. He walked up the stairs with lead in his shoes and followed the demon inside. “You’ll like this,” Xantier said and hearing those words Michael knew he wouldn’t. He noticed how the demon pointed to one of the zombies and he looked at him. Immediately he recognized him and his heart sank. “Dave,” he muttered. Dave, one of his fellow demon hunters and a good friend. He walked over to him and grabbed his arms. “Dave!”

Dave looked at him with empty eyes, he gave no sign of recognition.

“Come on Dave, you know me! Please, talk to me!”

The eyes remained empty and he didn’t respond.

Xantier gloated over the scene and he looked at Michael. “He’s dead. You’re talking to an empty shell, a moving corpse.” He noticed how Michael slowly let go of Dave again. “And the best part is, he obeys me.” He looked at his new addition to mindless slaves and pointed at him. “Rip your own arm off.”

Slowly Dave took his own arm and started pulling.

“Make him stop,” Michael whispered as he watched it with horror in his eyes. “Please make him stop!”

“Stop,” Xantier ordered and Dave stopped. “I can make him kill you,” he said to Michael as he walked over to Dave. “I can, but I won’t. Because that privilege is mine.” He turned to look at Michael. “I will reunite you soon. Although…” Xantier showed a big grin. “Your living bodies will be in the same room, your soul won’t go to where his went.” He walked back to Michael and grabbed him in his neck. Michael gasped and took Xantier’s hand to loosen the grip, but he couldn’t. He closed his eyes when the fingers tightened around his neck more and he tried to breathe, but he couldn’t. “I told you I’d make you beg to kill you. And you will. Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but you will. And the longer you wait, the more fun I will have.” He released Michael again, who fell to the ground, gasping for air.

That night Michael barely slept, the demon didn’t let him. He was submerged in a world of pain again and when the red sun rose he could finally go to his mattress and attempt to sleep. A couple of hours later he woke up with a kick in his side and Xantier announced he would leave to visit one of his demon friends. He expected Michael to be home when he would return and that he would have cleaned the fourth room. Michael nodded and watched Xantier leave, before lying down again and watching the ceiling. It was difficult to think about anything else than the pain in his body, but soon a memory of the previous day returned. Benjamin. Hadn’t they promised to meet up again today? He worked himself in an upright position and looked at the door. There was no leash around his neck this time, since he had clear instruction to get some cleaning done. He might as well go outside for just a moment and see if Benjamin was there again. He hoped he would be, he could use it to talk with him. He got up and limped towards the door. He went down the stairs carefully and made his way outside the castle.

~

Benjamin sat on the boulder where he had met Michael the previous day. Instead of watching the castle he looked at the three hellhounds who walked around. He had brought them along today, in this world filled with demons he felt safer with these by his side. When he heard one of the hellhounds growl he looked up.

“Hush,” he said to the hound, who listened and stopped growling. “That’s the human I talked about.” He jumped down from the boulder and walked up to Michael, but the friendly greeting died on his lips when he noticed how beat up he looked.

“Do I look that bad?” Michael asked when he saw Benjamin’s expression.

“Well,” Benjamin began when he heard all three hounds growl and step forward. He looked at them with a frown.

“You said they didn’t attack humans, right?” Michael whispered as he looked at the hounds he had been taught to fear.

“I think,” Benjamin began slowly, “you smell like a demon.”

Michael rubbed his arms at that comment and he had a desperate look in him. “I guess… it makes sense some of his smell rubbed off, we,” he swallowed, “he…”

“I understand,” Benjamin said with a compassionate sound in his voice as he stepped forward. He took Michael’s arm and looked back at his four-legged friends. “Stop that!” he told them. “He’s human, can’t you see? Surely you must smell that behind the scent the demon left on his skin.”

One of the hounds came forward to sniff Michael. He sniffed and sniffed some more, before he looked up to examine him. As if the hellhound reached the conclusion he was indeed not a threat he sat down again. After a sigh of relief, Michael looked back at Benjamin and he told him what had happened after he returned to the castle. Benjamin listened and tried to comfort him as well as he could, but he couldn’t do much more than offer support and a friendly hug. After this they started talking about their lives before they got here, Benjamin was in the middle of a story, when he heard the hellhounds growl again. He looked up and noticed someone walk up to them.

The man looked human, with neatly cut black hair which started turning grey at the temples, but he had a slight greyish tone in his skin and green eyes. He had a pair of glasses on his nose and wore a red, velvet jacket with black pants. He watched them, ignoring the growling hellhounds completely. When one of them stepped forward he glared at it and the hound stayed where it was. “Xantier’s pet,” he said with a heavy, baritone voice as he looked at Michael and his eyes moved to examine Benjamin. “I have not seen you around before.”

“Borastius,” Michael whispered.

“Where is Xantier?”

Michael swallowed heavily. “Out, visiting a friend.”

Borastius nodded to himself. “Then I have no purpose of staying here,” he said as he moved to turn around.

“Wait,” Michael said as he stepped forward. He noticed how the demon looked at him with an impatient look. “Can you help my friend back to the human world? I know you visit there to feed.”

The demon looked from Michael to Benjamin and he shook his head. “I will not. He got himself into this realm, he must find his own way out.

Benjamin felt the hope from Michael’s words shatter by the answer of the demon. Would he truly never see the human world again?

“And why will you not help him?” Borastius continued.

“Me?” Michael asked, “but I…

“You are a spellcaster. You can create a temporarily tear in the border of our two realms. I am certain Xantier has the books about it.”

“Books?” Michael asked.

“Of course, he is a spellcaster too. He uses spells to travel between realms, just like I do. We just doesn’t need the charms humans need to cast spells, but we sometimes do have to read up on certain magic.”

Michael looked at Borastius and then at Benjamin, who looked hopefully at him. “I… I don’t have my charm. I can’t cast a spell without it.”

Borastius shrugged to that. “Xantier certainly has some lying around, he likes taking trophies from the demon hunters he kills.” A sly smile appeared on his face. “Maybe you can even discover a way to unfetter the chains Xantier bound you with.”

“How does the contract work?” He decided now was a great moment to ask a question he couldn’t ask Xantier, or with Xantier hearing it.

“That is a demon’s secret, I will not reveal it.”

While Michael looked disappointed, Benjamin frowned at Borastius. “It’s just a piece of paper,” he said to the demon

The grey demon looked at Michael’s new friend without saying anything. He slowly folded his arms together. “Why do you say that?”

“During my stay here I overheard two demons talking, they had little regard for humans, calling us stupid for giving up our  most priced possession so easily. That fuelled my earlier suspicion. Even before coming here it never made sense to me why a demon would go through a difficult process of getting someone to sign a contract and I started to assume a demon is just not able to take a soul unless it’s given. And as I learned more about earth-bound and wandering spirits back home, it started to make more and more sense what the contract really is.”

Borastius didn’t say anything, nor did he show what he felt about what Benjamin said.

“Why does he collect souls?” Michael asked softly and he noticed how the demon looked at him now, although he didn’t speak. “Xantier, he doesn’t eat them,” he continued and he gestured to Benjamin. “He said the souls float around the main tower.”

The demon shrugged and for a moment it seemed he wouldn’t answer the question. “We all feed through different means,” he started explaining eventually, “some eat meat, some consume souls, some have found a way to harvest the energy from the eternal souls, like Xantier. And I, I take energy from living creatures. Unlike Xantier I rarely kill a human, I just… take what I need.” As he said that he extended his hand towards Benjamin, who looked at him with a surprised look on his face, but soon frowned and took Michael’s shoulder for support. “That is all I require. I suggest you two hurry.” His eyes settled on Michael. “Xantier will not be pleased to find you reading his books.” That remark made Michael go pale, but he nodded.

“And how can we know you won’t tell him?” Benjamin asked.

Borastius looked at Benjamin and shrugged. “Xantier and I are not on good terms. Why would I care what his pet and his human companion are up to? Although I must say I am curious if you will succeed.” He nodded to them and turned around to leave.

Now the demon left again, Michael and Benjamin looked at each other.

“Do you think you can do it?” Benjamin asked.

“I might.”

“Are you… are you willing to take that risk?”

Michael remained silent for a moment as he thought about it. Then he looked at Benjamin with a resigned expression on his face. “What more can Xantier do than he already did? He can torture me for another night, but if not for this he’ll find another excuse. I want to help you get back. I can’t escape this fate, but there’s no reason for you to stay here.”

“Maybe you can,” Benjamin began, but Michael shook his head.

“Let’s just go.


	4. The escape

Michael and Benjamin made their way back to the castle. The hellhounds followed closely as they entered it and Michael lead Benjamin to the spiral staircase in the middle of the castle. Benjamin looked around curiously as they walked through the grey castle and when they came in the circular room with the statues and stairs, his eyes moved over all the doors. He knew what was there, Michael had told him about it. He didn’t want to see those rooms. He followed Michael up the staircase, looking only briefly through the open door halfway up. The bedroom of the demon, it was more elegant than he had imagined. The white walls with golden patterns seemed to be in contrast with the otherwise gloomy and dark castle. He soon saw the mattress and leash Michael had talked about. He definitely didn’t want to see what was behind the door on the opposite side of the room, that had to be the torture chamber Michael mentioned before. He followed Michael up to the room where the demon did his rituals and spells, but when he saw him try the door it became apparent the door was locked.

“The dogs,” Michael said and Benjamin looked at him with an expression that showed he wasn’t sure what Michael was talking about. “Hellhounds, I mean. They breath fire.”

“Right.” Benjamin knelt down to the closest and took it’s fanged face in his hands. “Please open this door for us, this might be the only chance I have of going home.”

The hellhound nodded and both Michael and Benjamin quickly went a few steps down the stairs as it opened its mouth and breathed a hot stream of fire. They had to shield their eyes from the heat, but when the flames died out the door was almost completely incinerated. Only a few black pieces around the edges remained.

“Thank you,” Benjamin said and they quickly entered the room.

This was the only room in the castle Michael never visited before. The wooden floor was empty, aside from a lecture stand in the middle. One sturdy cabinet stood to the right, the two doors wide open. Michael walked over to it and saw dozens of books and one bone box. He curiously opened the box and excitement and sadness started battling for a place in his eyes as he examined the contents. It had charms in it, including the one Dave always used. He took Dave’s charm, kissed it and held it in his hand as he closed his eyes. “Right,” he muttered after taking a moment to collect himself. “I’ll have to read up on the spells.”

“How long do we have?”

“Not very long. Stand guard with the hellhounds, if he comes back early they might hold him off long enough for me to find the spell and perform it.” He quickly took the first book and started reading.

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed and even though Michael read some interesting things, he hadn’t found the spell he needed when he heard Xantier call his name. “Crap,” he muttered as he flipped the page in the book. He looked towards Benjamin, who started to look afraid now. And why wouldn’t he? He knew what Xantier had done to him, it was likely the demon would do similar things to Benjamin too. “It will be all right.”

“Really?” Benjamin whispered, his face looked a lot paler than it had before.

“I can’t defeat him, I’m strong, but I don’t think I’m strong enough to kill him. And even if I am, I don’t have the time to work out a spell for that, but with my charm I can bind him. I know a powerful spell to do that. If your friends can hold him off for a bit I can prepare that spell and work on the portal after that.”

Benjamin nodded and turned to the hellhounds. “There is a demon in the castle,” he told them. “Please attack him.”

The hellhounds nodded and darted down the stairs. As Michael mumbled some incantations they could hear Xantier shouting, the hellhounds growling and whining, the sound of hard objects falling. Then the sounds stopped, but they were soon replaced with calm footsteps coming up the stairs.

“Oh, Michael!” Xantier said as he walked up the stairs. “Has my pet been naughty today? Inviting those filthy beasts inside the castle and going up to my private room?” As the yellow-skinned demon walked through the remains of the door he looked at Benjamin for a brief moment. “Oh, you found a friend. Another soul for me? How thoughtful.”

“I would never surrender my soul to you.”

Xantier grinned as he walked towards Benjamin. “Oh, you will. Everyone has a breaking point and I would get you to sign a contract to give me your soul.”

“You won’t,” Michael said as he extended the hand he held his charm in and raised two fingers. Xantier recognized the gesture and moved to cast a spell of his own, but he was too late, Michael spoke the last word to complete the spell and Xantier became engulfed in an orange light. They could hear him curse Michael and threaten to kill every single one of his relatives when the orange bubble closed around him.

Michael took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Let’s continue with the other spell.”

“Will they be all right?” Benjamin asked and Michael looked at him. “Your family.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

They both looked at the door when they heard something crawl up the stairs. It was one of the hellhounds and Benjamin quickly went over to it to hug it and stroke the black fur. “Thank you so much for your help,” he said to it. “Thank you.” The hound snuggled into his shoulder and after a moment of snuggling Benjamin started tending to the wounds the beast had. Michael continued reading, but he stopped when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs once more. He looked at Benjamin and held the charm firmly in his hand when he noticed Borastius enter the room.

“I was bored,” the demon said as he looked around. Amusement clearly showed in his green eyes when he saw the orange bubble. “A binding spell. And a strong one too. Impressive.” He looked at the hellhound who Benjamin protectively wrapped his arms around. “Your other two friends have survived,” he told him. “I can tend to their wounds if you like.”

“Please do.”

Borastius nodded and left the room again, to do as he suggested. As the demon walked away Michael and Benjamin looked at each other. After a moment of silence Michael returned to the books and continued reading.

It took him three more books to read through before he found the spell he needed. During this time the other two hellhounds returned with Borastius. He drew a circle on the ground and drew a few more symbols in it. After that he spoke words in a language Benjamin couldn’t understand while making gestures with the hand he held the charm with and the circle lit up. Michael looked at Benjamin and smiled. It felt like it was ages ago since he had been able to do that. “Your way home.”

“What about you?”

“Well,” Michael began as he looked towards the orange bubble, but before he could say what he wanted to say, the deep voice of Borastius grabbed his attention.

“I would have thought you would have jumped at a chance to return home,” he said to him as he examined him through his glasses. “Or has Xantier successfully broke your spirit already?”

Michael shook his head. “I have a contract. If I’ll break it he’ll kill my entire family.”

Borastius nodded slowly to that. “True, but as long as he is in the bubble, you are free to go where you want to go.”

“But if I’m not here when he breaks free…”

“Add a warning spell that will inform you when it weakens too much. Xantier will be too weak to open a portal immediately. Do you know how long it will take him to break out of this by himself?”

Michael looked at the bubble and walked up to it. He placed his hand on it and closed his eyes. “The binding spell itself is meant to last for decades at least, a century for lesser demons. If Xantier will continue to resist it as he does now, ten to twenty years at most.”

“You are quite a powerful spellcaster, no wonder Xantier wanted to have your soul,” Borastius commented, to which Michael shrugged. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

Benjamin decided to join in the conversation. “That is ten years you can live normally again.”

Michael looked from Borastius to Benjamin and he nodded. He wasn’t sure if he really was as powerful as Borastius seemed to think, but he knew he was in the elite of his demon hunters group. He watched how Benjamin said goodbye to the hellhounds by kneeling down next to them and hugging every one of them. “I will miss you guys and I can’t thank you enough for keeping me safe.” One of the hellhounds licked his face, Michael couldn’t help but smile. Despite how they looked, they could be as affectionate as real dogs. He looked at Borastius again. “There are creatures here…” he began.

“I know,” Borastius told him. “I will release them. Or end their misery. Do not concern yourself with it.”

Michael nodded and looked at Benjamin, who nodded to show he was ready and he walked over to him. “Let’s go,” Michael said and after a second nod from Benjamin they stepped into the portal together.


	5. The soul

When Michael returned to his world he went home straight away, where he spend the first few days mostly in his own room. It felt strange to be free, so strange he wasn’t sure what to do with his newfound freedom. He took this moment to tell his parents about his career as demon hunter alongside of his education. The only other person he told was one of his uncles, he trusted this man more than anyone else and, as it turned out, he knew a great deal about demons, even if he wasn’t able to cast magic as Michael was.

He kept in touch with Benjamin, who became a good friend. Together they became ghost hunters. While Michael still went after demons who appeared in their world and killed people, he focussed more on spirits and helping them move on to the afterlife. Their goal was to release all the spirits Xantier had collected, if they’d find a way. They both read up on the subject as much as the could and working in the field gave them great insight in how ghosts were bound to earth and how they could be released again. At one point they learned that the only way Michael could truly be free was to kill Xantier, but they couldn’t as long as he had his spirits. And the spirits couldn’t be set free as long as he was alive. This was exactly the reason why he was banished the first time. He continued to look for ways to get out of this situation and live, but he couldn’t find anything. He did learn a lot about souls and why some demons wanted to collect them.

As months turned into years, he fell in love. The girl was the love of his life and after a while of dating he told her, with pain in his heart, how things could never work out, because he was bound to a contract with a demon. Much to his surprise the girl stayed with him, she told him she wanted to be with him for as long as they could. Eventually they married and got children, a beautiful young girl and two years later a healthy young boy, even though Michael knew he’d have to leave them one day, his life felt complete.

All this time Xantier fought the binding spell. More and more cracks appeared until one day he finally managed to break free. “Michael!” he exclaimed as he raised his arms to the ceiling of his room. “I will-”

“You will what?” Michael asked. He had noticed the binding spell had weakened to a point which would allow the demon would to break through soon, so he had given his wife and kids a kiss, told his wife what was going on and quickly returned to the demon realm with Benjamin. It hadn’t taken long before Borastius had joined them and they had waited together until Xantier finally broke free. Benjamin had asked if it was possible to just renew the spell or bind the demon again, but Michael felt that wouldn’t solve anything, there would always be a time he’d break out again. If he wasn’t here soon enough to bind him again the demon would keep his promise to kill his family. And even if he himself had died of old age by the time Xantier broke free, the demon would still take his revenge. That was something he didn’t want to happen.

When he heard Michael’s voice Xantier quickly turned around and glared at him. “You! You deceived me! I will hunt down your family and-”

“No,” Michael interrupted him with a calm voice as he stepped towards Xantier. “I signed a contract, you wouldn’t harm my family if I would give you my soul. I’m here now to live up to my side of the contract. You can claim my soul. In return you will do as you promised and you won’t kill my family.”

The yellow demon stared at Michael.

“I suppose,” Michael continued, “you’re more in the mood to torture me for weeks without end for what I did, but maybe we can seal the deal right here and now. I’m ready.”

“You surprise me,” Xantier finally said.

“I had some time to get ready,” Michael said with a shrug. “In the end I know I couldn’t escape this, that’s why I’m here. I signed the contract, my soul is yours. What do you say?”

Xantier nodded and walked up to Michael. “Very well. I will claim your soul now.”

Benjamin watched how Xantier approached Michael and put his hand in his shoulder with both sadness and worry in his eyes. He came along so Michael wouldn’t be alone at this point, but he wished there was more he could do. He watched how the demon sliced Michael’s neck with his sharp fingernails and how Michael held his bleeding neck and fell to his knees. He watched a good friend die right in front of his eyes and the saddest part had yet to come, he would lose his eternal soul. When life left Michael’s body, as he lay on his side in his own blood, his soul stood up from it. Benjamin could see him clearly, like any other ghost. They looked at each other for a brief moment, after which Michael turned his head to look at Xantier.

“Come here,” Xantier commanded.

Michael glided forward and raised a hand.  _Like I promised, my soul is yours_  he said as he put his hand on Xantier’s chest.

It surprised Benjamin he could hear Michael’s words echo through the air. Normally he couldn’t hear the words ghosts tried to speak to him. The only ghost he had ever been able to understand was his grandfather when he came by to say his goodbye’s after he died. It was strangely reassuring to know he had grown close enough to Michael to be able to hear him.

The eyes of Xantier widened when Michael’s soul entered his body. His hands tried to grab him to pull him back, but he was unable to touch the soul. He stumbled back as he clawed at his chest and fell on the ground.

“Michael just entered his body…” Benjamin muttered. Was this what Michael planned to do all along? He hadn’t even known such a thing was possible. At the same time he recalled how people could be possessed by spirits, they had read about it, they had even witnessed it. He came to the conclusion Michael had deducted it was possible to possess a demon too, especially since a demon had no soul of their own. He wasn’t sure how Michael had done it, but he was in there and Xantier knew it.

“Intriguing,” Borastius said. “Xantier, you have a soul now. A demon with a soul.” He smirked as he stepped closer. “You can feel regret now, remorse, guilt. How many people did you kill and slaughter? How many did you torture and abuse for your own pleasure? How many screams filled these castle walls?”

Xantier grabbed his head with both hands and looked at the ground with big eyes. “I… I can’t…Their voices haunt me. Their screams of agony and pain. The faces of those I killed. Make it stop, Borastius!”

“That is beyond my ability,” Borastius stated. “You wanted his soul, you have it now. And everything that comes with it.”

“He had to join the others! I didn’t want this!”

“You did not specify that.”

“I should…”

“Kill his family?”

“My family? I mean his family. I can’t. I couldn’t. I need to get rid of this soul!”

Borastius leaned forward. “The only way a soul can leave a body is when the body dies. Do not forget the body is a simple vessel where the soul binds itself to. Get rid of the vessel and you will lose the soul that gives you all this trouble.” He saw how Xantier looked at him, the delightful mixture of fear and grief and guilt. “Can you live with this, Xantier? Can you live with what you did now you have a soul? There is a way to penance for all the lives you destroyed, you know. Give your own in exchange, you will find peace again.”

“I don’t know…”

“Do you deserve to live after all you did?”

“No!” Xantier exclaimed as he burried his face behind his hands and started sobbing, “I don’t deserve to live! I can’t live with what I did! I need to end this!”

“Then end this, rip your heart out. The heart is the place of emotion after all. Get rid of it.”

Without a second thought Xantier trust his hand in his chest, his fingers curled around his beating heart and he ripped it out. “Well…played…Michael,” he muttered as he fell back, his purple blood spreading over the floor as it flowed out of the hole in his chest.

Benjamin stared at the dying demon and then he looked at Borastius. “Why did you want to let him kill himself so desperately?”

Borastius looked at Benjamin from over his glasses, before he looked back at the bodies on the ground. “You expressed your desire to free the spirits he had collected. In order to save Michael from living eternally in a demon and to set them free, Xantier had to have a desire to die. Neither you nor me could have killed him, the bound spirits would keep their master alive, but as he desired to die, his collected souls allowed him. It was his wish after all.” Borastius looked at Benjamin again. “Start your guiding ritual, they are lost without Xantier and do not know where to go or what to do.”

Benjamin nodded, but he didn’t look at him. He watched how Michael emerged from Xantiers body. “Michael,” he sighed in relief.

Michael looked at him with horror in his eyes.  _I saw what he did… it was awful, all those people…_

“You don’t have to let that burden your soul, you are free to move on now. Take the wandering spirits with you, they lost what bound them here and are confused.” He looked around. “They’re in this room, all drifting in every direction.”

Michael looked around as well.  _I see them. And I see the light where we have to go_. He smiled at Benjamin.  _Tell my family I love them. And thank you, for everything._

“Take care, my friend. You are a hero and I will miss you. Putting ghosts to rest won’t be the same without you.”

 _Please continue helping them, I don’t know anyone more suited than you._  He rose his hand in a greeting, a gesture Benjamin returned, and he floated upwards. He touched all the spirits in the room and when he rose through the ceiling they followed him. Benjamin watched them go with a smile.

“Are they gone?” Borastius asked.

“They are,” Benjamin said as he looked at the demon. “Couldn’t you see them leave?”

“I do not possess the ability to see the invisible, unlike you or Xantier. I would appreciate you fill me in.”

“I will,” Benjamin said as he smiled. “If you wouldn’t mind to help me find the hellhounds I was with when I was here the first time. I would like to say hi to them before going back to my realm.”

The demon agreed to that with a simple nod of his head. Together they left the castle as Benjamin explained what had taken place inside and Borastius took him to the place where he knew the pack stayed. They remembered him from before and greeted him as if only days had passed instead of years. After spending a little time with them, Benjamin and Borastius returned to the castle so Benjamin could take Michael’s body with him. He wanted his friend to have a decent funeral. It was awful to see a friend die, but to see him move on to a better place, that gave peace of heart.


End file.
